Grass or lawn striping is a grooming procedure used to orient grass to achieve a particular aesthetic effect. For example, striping is commonly used in professional ballparks to create a grass surface having a checkerboard or plaid pattern. Today, golf courses, municipal parks, and, to a lesser extent, homeowners, seeking to obtain a more manicured and professional lawn appearance are also incorporating striping techniques into their lawn care procedures.
In general, the striping effect may be achieved by bending blades of grass in controlled directions. An area of grass bent away from an observer, for example, may appear lighter than an area bent towards the observer. Often, a first strip of grass is bent in a first direction, while the immediately adjacent strip is bent in the opposite direction. This pattern may be repeated across an entire grass surface to achieve the desired effect.
Striping may typically be accomplished by rolling the grass, often in conjunction with a mowing operation. That is, a roller may be attached to a rear portion of a mowing vehicle to roll over and bend the grass in the direction of vehicle travel. Professional reel mowers, for example, may include a roller fixed to a rear side of each mower reel. Other mower configurations, e.g., riding rotary mowers, may include full width, rear-mounted rollers.
While these striping systems are effective, problems remain. For example, rollers are often heavy and/or rigidly fixed to the mower or cutting deck to ensure sufficient downward force is applied to produce the desired striping effect. However, heavy or full-width rollers, or those rigidly affixed to the vehicle, may inadvertently strike ground surfaces or obstacles, e.g., curbs, during operation, resulting in potential damage to the lawn surface and/or the roller. Moreover, current striping mechanisms often lack adjustability, i.e., they typically apply their full force or weight to the ground regardless of particular grass conditions, e.g., height. To alter the downward pressure of the striping mechanism often requires its removal from the mower or, alternatively, loosening and repositioning of the striping mechanism, typically with the use of tools.